Some people have all the luck, or, The Week

The Man and I were married February 12, 2005. Since then, life has been a struggle. We have endured bad jobs and unemployment, and in the course of our almost-three-year marriage, we have survived - barely - on very little money, usually from only one income. It's been tough, it's been heartbreaking, and there have been days when I have very seriously wanted to just run away. Not from him, or from us, just from the world. Abandon our debts and live as nomadic bums. It isn't that this option is really so attractive, just that there have been times when I - when we both - have felt that there is no digging ourselves out from under the pile beneath which we are living.

Some people seem to be born under a lucky star. I dated two such guys in my early twenties. These are the people who go out shopping for cds and are offered two jobs along the way, apropos of nothing. These are the people who, when looking for apartments, finagle their way into a superintendent gig as well, thus allowing them to live in beautiful, sizable spaces for very little money, and very little work. These are the people whose parents buy them houses for kicks.

The Man and I are not these people. We are the opposite. He says that, statistically, it stands to reason that if some people are frequently lucky, there will also be people that generally are not. I still feel like I'm battling some cosmic force.

Except this week. In the past 6 days, we have gotten two pieces of very good news, including a job for The Man! He started a new recruiting position yesterday afternoon. It's a three month contract, but he has leads on future jobs, as well. We are thrilled, and apartment hunting this weekend. The sooner we can get back downtown and out of the uber-burbs, the happier we will both be. Walking to work will be such a relief after months of terrifying bus-rides (seriously: the bus drivers in this city freak me right out!). Being blocks away from our dear friends, K & M & little I-B will be wonderful. I am breathing easily once again, for the first time in two months. While I wasn't a wreck this whole time (which, considering my anxiety predilections, is quite remarkable) I have certainly been all-too aware of the stark reality of our financial situation. But no more!

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I am behind on blogstalking by two weeks! I apologize, stalkers, but I PROMISE you: the pic of the statue will be up tomorrow afternoon and it is worth the wait! It's weird, it's big, and it's installed on the approach to the stunning National Art Gallery. I'm snapping the pic tomorrow afternoon; it should look awesome.

Up next, or, *Eee!!* They're here!!

My KP Harmony needles! I only ordered one size (I am, how do you say, cheap and anxious because I'm the only one with a job) but I'm still excited! They're preeeetty:



What's more, the arrival of these needles allows me to start on my warm handspun sweater. I'm using this yarn and the Raglan Generator. My plan is to supplement my limited supply of handspun with deep ribbing at the waist and cuffs of the lambswool. BUT....the question is: do I knit a pullie or a cardi? I'm not certain. My plan has been to knit a split-neck at the left shoulder with the lambswool, as well as buttons up the ribbing at the waist at the right hip, but I'm wondering if such a thick sweater would be more wearable as a cardi. My concern is that the lambswool button-band up the centre might hack up the continuity of the knit.

I'm so indecisive. Any thoughts?

Just in case you were concerned that the package contained anything less than entirely innocuous, Wembley gave it a good check before I ripped into it.

Shiny, or, A Nice Blend

"Helena" cotton/rayon blend from CirculoYarns. Destined to become Sahara.

There and Back Again, or, Bussy

I've been busy, but mostly, I'm bussy! Living in the 'burbs, and working in the downtown core in a city with a serious problem with it's road-way infrastructure (way too few lanes between the suburb I live in and the city proper), it only makes sense to take the bus. It's ecologically responsible, too, which is always a nice aspect!



That's a bus. That's actually the bus that brought me home this afternoon. The Red and White Rocket, as one particularly gregarious bus driver likes to announce it over the bus PA.

<-- I start out here. One bus, from that stop all the way downtown. No transfers is a nice luxury. Gives me ample time to read or knit without worrying about getting off and back on to another bus. Most days, the bus is the only motorized vehicle I set foot in. We have a car, but it stays home on work days. It isn't interesting, but it's how I get around.

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Friends of ours are FINALLY getting married this weekend (it took awhile for the groom to accept this whole "getting married" thing). October in Ottawa generally means autumn, however, the forecast is calling for mid-twenties temperatures, so typical seasonal formal wear is a little out of the question. I haven't been to a summer wedding in a while (lil' sis's doesn't count as I was a bridesmaid) so I need to acquire me a dress in short order. A little empire waisted number in this fabric should work, don't you think? The spots are actually much pinker than they appear in this pic (nothing like taking pictures under compact florescents at night!) and on a just-off-white ground. Almost breaks the "no white at a wedding" rule, but I think it's polka-dotted enough not to be a problem.

Blegh, or, A bad case of the Yucks

I'm feeling pretty crap lately. Don't know why, and really, what does it matter, except that my brain appears to be rapidly deteriorating into a state of mushy incoherence? Yup, pretty fonging crappy.

I feel very stupid. Hence the greatly reduced frequency of posts. Also, there are sooo many more people in the office now (which is great, don't get me wrong*) that it's hard to do up a post at work without being discovered. I'm a sneaky blogger, you see. And once I get home I generally feel rather disinclined to sit and bang out posts after sitting at a 'puter all day at work. So I don't, and my blog suffers and stagnates.

Apologies. Blogstalking post should be up this evening, all things being equal, and I believe there may be some pr0n looking to make an appearance tomorrow.....

*How sad is it that I only just noticed the gross grammatical problem with that phrase?!